The typology and function of an integrated spatial and visual cortical system (360G-Wellcome-214333_Z_18_Z)

When we move within an environment, our visual system is bombarded with visual stimulation from the outside world while, at the same time, the head and eyes are also moving. The brain is nonetheless able to integrate these competing inputs into a stable perception of the world. I will investigate two brain regions that are likely to be key players in this process of visuospatial integration: the visual cortex and the retrosplenial cortex (RSP), which processes information essential for navigation such as location, speed, direction and the angular velocity of the head. Recent physiological evidence suggests that the visual cortex integrates signals from the RSP that indicate the motion velocity of the head. This suggests that visual representations in the cortex are context dependent and incorporate egocentric signals to generate a coherent representation of visual motion events in the external world. To develop a biologically realistic model of how the brain performs this computation, we will generate a detailed connectivity map at cellular resolution of the major pathways within these brain areas. By mapping their functional response properties, we will obtain a physiological understanding of how egocentric visual representations are generated and then translated in the RSP for visually-guided behaviour.